Mary C. (nursemare) reviewed on 4/24/2011 + 75 more book reviews

If you're looking for a diet book, go elsewhere. This book is not just about hunger and longing for food, it far more a spiritual journey through where food comes from (from small yet bountiful gardens and farms, the diary farms, straight through to cattle ranching and slaughtering) and how one should have a reverence for that food. Macy leaves no stone unturned in this story of her study of all forms of food and where it all comes from and the creation of fresh food from the ingredients she explores. Near the end she discusses making her own peace with food, what a normal serving is as opposed to what she was used to eating, and coming out on the other side having learned far more about herself and the world around her.

The thing that makes this far less of a simple memoir is the lyrical prose that Macy uses to tell her story. Even though she has written extensively for magazines, this is her first book. She uses first person, present tense prose - a difficult framework to use and hold so well in a full length book. It brings a sense of immediacy and far more intimacy to the story. Macy makes you feel like you are there experiencing everything right there beside her. This is not just a book for those obsessed with food, but also for anyone who enjoys a well told, literary story.

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